


Fighting Chance

by Dalankar



Series: Fighting Chance [1]
Category: DBSK|Tohoshinki|TVXQ, EXO (Band), Infinite (Band), SHINee, Shinhwa, Super Junior
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-29
Updated: 2014-01-20
Packaged: 2018-01-02 22:28:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1062385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dalankar/pseuds/Dalankar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They're chosen for the 2013 Youth Games. But are they prepared to fight to survive? To Kill to survive?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fighting Chance

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the Japanese film, Battle Royale.

 

_Jongin falls. The grass is cool against his cheek. And then Sehun is there. He looks scared. Sehun is crying. Jongin can see his tears shining in the golden sunlight. His rainbow hair is a halo around his head. He looks beautiful. His Sehun. He wants to say that he's sorry about the dinner. Wants to tell him that he really, really likes his hair. Really, really likes him. Jongin reaches up. Sehun. I'm really glad I came school._

-

He only realises that something is wrong when he wakes up on the cold concrete floor of a room he's never been in before. The others are waking up around him and Jongin braces a hand on the floor and forces himself to sit up. Where was the bus? They'd been going to the theatre to practise their play for their school's end of year production. No one had really been paying attention to where the bus was taking them because of Sehun. Because of Sehun's hair. Because of Sehun's rainbow coloured hair that he was trying to keep hidden under a beanie while everyone was trying their best to get him to take it off. Sehun had been glaring daggers at Chanyeol, whom he blamed for the bet, which he had lost to end up on the bad side of his hairdresser. Jongin, who had actually seen it because he had been there, doesn't think it is that bad. Sehun has a face that would look good with any kind of hair colour, not that Jongin is likely to tell him that in the near future.

 

Jongin sits up and realises Sehun is on the floor beside him.

 

"Sehun." He shakes Sehun on the shoulder. "Sehun, wake up." Sehun groans and tries to slap his hand away.

 

"Go away," Sehun complains. Jongin stifles a laugh, just as the door to the room, which has no windows Jongin notices absently, slams open. Jongin startles in surprise and hears Lu Han's gasp from on his other side. Jongin stares with wide eyes as soldiers pour into the room, standing at attention at the front of the room.

 

"What's going on?"

 

Jongin looks up as Chanyeol stands. Sehun, who had sprung up when the door slammed against the wall, shares a wide eyed glance with him as Junmyeon, the leader of their little drama group, gets to his feet as well. This prompts everyone to their feet, including Jongin who reaches a hand down to Sehun, who uses it to pull himself up.

 

"Excuse me, sir," Junmyeon addresses the soldier infront of him, "Can you tell us what is going on?"

 

"Yeah, what's going on?" Kris asks less politely and Jongin notices that Yixing, standing next to Kris, looks terrified. And Baekhyun, standing behind Chanyeol, is shaking. Jongin doesn't see why they should be so scared. None of them have done anything wrong. Unless they call the army for students skipping school, Jongin is sure this is just a misunderstanding.

 

"Jongin."

 

Jongin looks at Sehun.

 

"I'm sorry," Sehun whispers. He looks scared too. Jongin frowns.

 

"Why?"  He asks, confused. Sehun's fingers wrap tightly around Jongin's wrist.

 

"For making you come to school today."

 

Jongin is about to ask him to explain this strange behaviour when a voice booms loudly at them.

 

"Everybody, shut up."

 

There is a man. Short and bald and wearing a suit, standing infront of the soldiers, facing them. His hands are clasped behind his back. He looks excited, almost bouncing on his heels.

 

"Congratulations." The man smiles at them, showing all his teeth.  "You are the lucky class chosen for the 2013 Youth Games. I will be your host for the exciting three days."

 

Jongin doesn't hear anything else. He is frozen in horror. The Youth Games. The Youth Games where some unlucky bunch of kids get carted off to a deserted island to be picked off by hunters. The Youth Games that had begun as a way to keep the nation's young people in line and had turned out to be the highest rated TV show every year. Jongin watched it. He never thought he'd be living it. Sehun's hand tightens around his wrist and Jongin uses it to draw strength and doesn't let his knees fold. In the periphery, Jongin sees Jongdae stagger back into the wall and sees Zitao reaching for him with wide, concerned eyes.

 

"There has to be a mistake," Minseok pleads. "We're not meant to be here."

 

The host shakes his head cheerfully. "Not the case I’m afraid. We don't make mistakes. You are the class chosen for the Games."

 

"You can't do this to us!" Chanyeol yells, stepping forward while Baekhyun tries frantically to pull him back. "We haven't done anything wrong! You can't do this to us!"

 

The host laughs. "You young people think the world should turn at your command. That's precisely why the games are here. To remind you that it doesn't. Adults rule the world. All we want is your obedience. These games will teach you, and the whole country, that valuable lesson."

 

Chanyeol looks as though he's about to say something else but Baekhyun covers his mouth with both his hands, whispering frantically in his ear.

 

The host looks around at them all and claps his hands happily. "Excellent. Now that you understand that, let's get to the nitty gritty, shall we? This year the Games have a little surprise for you, a blast from the past so to say. But I will say no more. I'm sure you will find out in due time." He smiles benevolently. "You're on an uninhabited island. You'll be given food and water. And weapons. This year, we're dividing you into three groups. Of course, you can decide that amongst yourselves. You will be taken to three different parts of the island, three days out from the safety zone that is located at the centre of the island. All you have to do is to get there within three days. Anyone who gets to the safe zone within that time is safe. Of course, it's not going to be so easy. There will be three hunters, one for each group. As usual, they will not have any weapons, save what they can take from you. So if you kids can work together, you might survive.  We have inserted a tracking chip into your left arms, so we'll know exactly where you are at all times. And after three days, if you're still alive but not in the safety zone, the chip will dissolve and poison you." The host stops and looks around at them expectantly, and Jongin wonders if he was expecting cheers.

 

"Okay," the host continues in a disappointed voice. "These fine soldiers have your survival packs. I'll give you three minutes to decide your teams, then the soldiers will escort you to the designated areas of the island and the 2013 Youth Games will officially begin."

 

Jongin counts 15 stone faced soldiers in the room but doesn't have the time to wonder about it because Junmyeon is pulling them in.

 

"Jongin and Sehun, you'll be with me and Kyungsoo, okay." Jongin nods numbly as Sehun does the same beside him. Junmyeon smiles at him encouragingly.

 

"Zitao and Jongdae," Tao has an arm wrapped protectively around Jongdae and looks angry rather than scared. "You're with Kris and Yixing."

 

"So Lu Han and Minseok, you're with Chanyeol and Baekhyun." Junmyeon looks around at them all. He looks determined. "Let's work together. We're the sacred band. We'll make it."

 

The Sacred Band of Seoul, they call themselves. After the Sacred Band of Thebes, made up of pairs of lovers who fought together, for each other, and had been the strongest band of warriors in the world.  They had been unbeatable. Almost.

 

But they aren't warriors. They're just kids. And this isn't a war. It is a hunt. They are the prey.

 

"Time is up. Have you chosen the teams?" the host asks.

 

Junmyeon takes a deep breath, smiles at them, and then turns to the host. "Yes."

 

Jongin is filled with pride for his leader, so proud to follow him. Junmyeon has always looked after them and even here, when they're all most likely about to die, his voice doesn't tremble. He is being brave and Jongin doesn't want to let him down.

 

"Excellent," the host says approvingly. "Now, you might think that it is unfair that you, mere school students, have to fight trained hunters. So we have three catalysts, one for each team. They are survivors from previous Youth Games and they'll no doubt be a great advantage for you in the arena." The host claps and looks expectantly at the doorway.

 

"But no one survived last year," Sehun whispers in his ear. They had been five students from one of the country's elite schools. Jongin remembers the end of the 2012 games, even when they had managed to kill the hunter, they hadn't gotten to the safety zone in time. No. One of them could have, but Kim Kibum had refused to leave Kim Jonghyun, whose leg was broken in atleast two places and could barely drag himself on the ground. Jonghyun had died a few hours before Kibum, who had waited to let the tracking chip poison him, and Jongin had seen his still body curved protectively around Jonghyun's and for the briefest moments wondered what he would have done in Kibum's place. He grips Sehun's hand in his' as the first catalyst, many years older than them, walks in through the door.

 

"Shin Hyesung," the host introduces the new comer. "The sole survivor of the 2009 Youth Games."

 

Not true. Jongin knows. Three survivors had gotten to the safety zone that year. Mun Junghyuk had died within one year of surviving the games. The official statement had said that Junghyuk died in an accident but no one really believed it. Junghyuk had been far too vocal against the government for them to let him live. And Dongwan had died in the 2011 Youth games, where he'd been a catalyst, blown up with the rest of the team he'd been protecting.

 

Hyesung's unreadable eyes travel over them and Jongin fights back a shiver.

 

The next catalyst to walk into the room is Shim Changmin.

 

"The last man standing of the 2010 games," the host announces proudly. The last man standing because Jung Yunho had put himself between Changmin and a knife aimed at his heart. Changmin looks bored and his eyes flicker over them disinterestedly. Jongin swallows and Sehun presses closer against his side.

 

The last catalyst is Lee Sungmin. One of the survivors of the 2011 games. Lee Hyukjae had taken a bullet to the head in the 2012 games, protecting his cousin, Lee Taemin, who had died later anyway. And the newspapers still speculated about the whereabouts of Cho Kyuhyun, who hasn't been seen for months now.

 

Sungmin takes his place beside Changmin and Jongin sees the burn scars on the right side of his face. He had tried to pull their class captain out of the fire and almost gotten himself killed in the process. Jongin still remembers Sungmin's screams as he watched half his class burn to death.

 

"Team one," the host calls. "Time to leave."

 

Jongin's heart tightens in his chest and he feels his limbs immobilise with fear. Then Baekhyun is standing infront of him.

 

"You're going to be fine." Baekhyun hugs him close. "Look after Sehunnie, alright?"

 

Jongin nods slowly and holds onto Baekhyun tightly. Beside them, Lu Han is tearfully holding onto Sehun and Junmyeon and Kyungsoo are farewelling the others. Jongin realises that this might be the last time he'd ever be this close to his friends.

 

"Hyung," he manages, voice choking up in is throat.

 

"Don't be scared," Chanyeol says, folding himself over them both. And then everyone is suddenly there and it's a group hug like that time when they'd been playing soccer at the park and Lu Han had scored a header.

 

"We'll be fine," Junmyeon is saying. "Just stay together."

 

Jongin doesn’t say that ever year, every class starts out like this. That last year had started like this. But he doesn't. He loves every single one of his team and can't bear to bring himself to think about how he might not see them again.

 

"Let's go team one," the host calls impatiently. They drift back reluctantly. Yixing ruffles his hair fondly. "We'll have that dance battle some other day, right Jongin?"

 

Jongin nods. "I'll see you in three days, hyung."

 

And then they're moving forward and the soldiers are thrusting their survival packs at them. Their catalyst is Lee Sungmin, who nods to them but doesn't smile. They follow the soldiers out of the room. Jongin looks back. Tao raises a hand in farewell. Kris inclines his head stoically. Baekhyun tries to smile but Jongin can tell he's crying by the way his mouth is twisted.

 

"See you guys in three days," Chanyeol calls and Jongin tries to swallow past his fear and steps out of the room. 

-

They are transferred by a helicopter. Jongin stares at the rotors spinning in the falling twilight. He's never ridden one before. He probably never will again, he thinks as Sungmin and then Junmyeon and Kyungsoo lead the way. Sehun stays close by his side.

 

“Maybe we can hijack it," Sehun whispers in his ear. Jongin looks around at the soldiers and their guns, camouflaged and deadly and thinks which would be the best way to die. He'd seen it happen too. The soldiers had filled that girl's body with bullets. He sits down on the floor of the helicopter, survival pack clutched in his lap. Sehun is pressed up to him on one side and Kyungsoo on the other. Sungmin is sitting opposite them, on his own. His eyes are closed and he might be meditating. Or thinking of ways to outmatch the hunter.

Jongin remembers the 2011 games. Remembers Sungmin wading through mud and rain and fire as he watched his friends die around him. Remembers  the determination setting his face to stone as he hacked a hunter to death.

Jongin thinks that he doesn't want to live if all his friends die, if Sehun dies. He wonders if he would change his mind when facing down the gun barrel of a hunter. But right now he grips Sehun's and Kyungsoo's hands and prays that they make it. Prays that they all come out alive.

- 

Jongin crouches low on the ground amidst the long grass as the helicopter lifts off. He looks up to watch it diminish as it gets higher and higher in the sky. There's barely any light left in the day. He gets up, slinging the survival pack over his shoulder.

 

"Let's get out of the open," Sungmin says quietly. Strangely, he looks slightly uncomfortable under the collective weight of their gazes. "You've seen enough of the games. You know they give the hunters our locations. The least we can do is make it harder for them to get to us."

 

Every hunter has a tracking monitor and Jongin knows they'll appear on their screens as little red dots. They're never going to be able to hide. Just run as fast as they can.

 

"I haven't," Kyungsoo says abruptly. "I don't watch the games."

 

Only Junmyeon doesn’t look surprised by this revelation.

 

"Why not, hyung?" Jongin asks. Everyone hated the games. But they all watched it. When he was younger, his parents used to tell him that it was just a TV show, that it wasn't real. Then he grew older and realised that the blood was real, that the screams were real and when the kids died on TV, they never went back home.

 

Kyungsoo looks around at them as if they are all idiots. "If no one watches it, they'll stop doing it," Kyungsoo says like it should be obvious to them all. Everyone stares at Kyungsoo stunned for a moment before Sungmin breaks the silence. "Let's go. We need to do inventory in a less exposed place."

 

They start walking, following behind Sungmin who is heading for the trees at the top of the grassy hill.

 

"If they don't have the games, they'd find another way to kill us," Sungmin mutters quietly, almost to himself. Jongin looks at him. He just wants to make it off this island alive. He wants them all to make it out alive. Maybe it’s selfish but he really doesn't care about the rest of it.  

- 

Sehun is the first one to dig through his bag and find his weapon. Jongin looks up to find Sehun staring at it despairingly.

 

"A pocket knife?" Sehun cries. "What am I going to do with a pocket knife?"

 

"It's better than a pencil," Sungmin tells him.

 

"You got a pencil, hyung?" Junmyeon asks, putting down the water bottle next to the small loaf of bread he'd discovered in his bag.

 

Sungmin pulls out a deadly looking knife from his bag. "Donghae got a pencil," Sungmin tells his knife.

 

Lee Donghae had jumped into a river to save Lee Hyukjae. The pencil never really got the chance to save his life. Kyungsoo is the next to find his weapon.

 

"Ah," he says thoughtfully, holding up a calculator infront of him.

 

"You never know, a math problem might save your life," Sehun says and Jongin can't tell if he's being serious or not. Kyungsoo stares at him for a long moment before sighing and putting the calculator back in his bag.

 

"I guess my pocket knife isn't so bad," Sehun says, looking at it with new found respect.

 

Junmyeon finds a rolling pin in his bag.

 

"Even blunt instruments can cause great harm," he states positively.

 

Jongin reaches into his bag, hoping desperately that his weapon would prove to be more useful than a calculator. His hand closes on something cool and hard. He pulls out the gun and almost drops it in shock.

 

"Whoa, Jongin!" Sehun shouts and everyone gathers around him.

 

"Finally, a useful weapon!” Junmyeon exclaims.

 

It's heavy in Jongin's hands. Guns always look so weightless on TV.

 

"Give it here." Sungmin holds out his hand. Jongin stares at him wide eyed and almost, almost doesn't. Sungmin takes the gun with careful hands when Jongin hands it over. Sungmin flips a switch at the back of the gun, which must be the safety, and pulls the bullet chamber out with a flick of his fingers and there, Jongin sees the six golden bullets, set in perfect symmetry before his eyes. Sungmin hands the gun back to him with careful instructions.

 

"That's the safety switch at the back. You have to switch it off before you shoot." Sungmin watches him to see if he understands and Jongin nods quickly. "When you shoot, hold it with both hands. And be ready for the recoil. And do your best, all of us have to do our best, to make sure the hunter doesn't get a hold of this gun. Do you understand me?"

 

Everyone nods mutely. The hunters are not provided weapons, except for those they take from their prey.

 

"Will they start tonight, hyung?" Junmyeon asks, eyes taking in the trees around them worriedly as if he expects the hunter to appear from behind one. Sungmin shakes his head.

 

"They'll only be in place tomorrow."  
 

"Should we start walking now then, hyung?" Jongin asks.

 

"It'll be night soon and we don't have light. We can die taking a fall off a cliff just as easily as we can by a hunter's blow." Sungmin spreads his map on the ground and they all gather around him. "Let's look at the map so we know where we're going." There, at the centre of the island, marked by red, dashed lines, is the safety zone.

 

"We're here," Sungmin tells them, pointing at one of the grids on the south west side of the island. The safety zone is at C4. They can make it, Jongin thinks, it doesn’t look far. They can get to the safety zone in three days.

 

"We're heading for D6," Sungmin tells them.

 

"But, hyung-" Junmyeon starts but Sungmin raises a hand to cut him off. Then he looks behind him, up at the closest tree, gnarled and green. Jongin sees the camera fixed on to one of the higher branches. They would have cameras everywhere on the island. Sungmin shifts so the view of their map would be completely hidden by his body.

 

"I'm going to do my best to keep you guys alive. But you have to trust me," Sungmin tells them carefully.

 

"What's in D6?" Kyungsoo asks.

 

Sungmin looks at him. "Why don't you watch the games?"

 

Kyungsoo blinks, surprised.

 

"You don't watch them because you know they're wrong. They should never happen. All those kids, my friends, should never have gotten killed. You kids shouldn't be here right now. But no one does anything. Everyone is too afraid." Sungmin's hands are clenched on his knees. Sehun leans closer to Jongin, warm hand settling over his shoulder.  "We're not going to stand for this anymore. We'll beat them at their own game." Sungmin's voice is hard, filled with suppressed anger. "Do you want to live?"

 

They all nod. Sungmin's face relaxes slightly.  "Good, we head for D6."

 

"But hyung, even if we get away," Junmyeon holds up his left hand. "After three days they'll poison us." The scar is an angry red against the rest of his pale skin.

 

"The chips can be easily removed. Anyway, they're not designed to kill."

 

"What?" Sehun gapes.

 

"The chips never killed anyone. It’s an amnesiac. It’ll only knock you out for a few hours,” Sungmin explains.

 

"But then-" Kyungsoo starts but Junmyeon speaks over him.

 

"What about the others? Will the other catalysts head for D6 too?"

 

Sungmin nods. "Yes. We're all going to get out of here."

- 

They begin their journey at dawn. The landscape is hilly with jutting rocks and shrubs and Jongin is sweating before long. And their main concern becomes conserving water rather than the hunter. They really should have been more vigilant.

 

The hunter knocks Sungmin onto a rock before any of them have even registered his presence. Then Kyungsoo is shouting and Sehun is pulling Jongin out of the way and there's Junmyeon, clutching the rolling pin in both hands and running at the hunter, who is wearing a mask that covers all of his face but his eyes. The hunter dodges Junmyeon, who stumbles as the hunter moves after him. Jongin is reaching for the gun in his bag with trembling hands and Sehun is already gripping his pocket knife with white knuckled hands. Kyungsoo shrieks in distress and rushes after the hunter. Jongin can only gape at him as Kyungsoo jumps on to the hunter's back, hanging on with arms locked around the hunter's neck.  The hunter pauses in momentary surprise. And then Sehun is running at him and suddenly there is a pocket knife sticking out of the hunter's shoulder. Sehun stumbles back in shock and Kyungsoo slips off the hunter's back as the hunter barks out a laugh, which dies when he sees Sungmin, on his feet and wielding the long knife with narrowed, determined eyes. 

- 

They camp that night on a hill. "Better to see him coming," Sungmin decides when they all stop to get their breath back and survey the damage after the hunter had decided to make a strategic exit. They had all miraculously escaped without injury, except for Sungmin who is sporting a spectacular bruise on his temple. But now they have another problem.

 

"He has your knife?" Sungmin asks, once Sehun confesses with downcast eyes.

 

"I stabbed him with it… and it sort of stuck there."

 

Sungmin nods slowly, rubbing at his eyes. "Okay. He's injured but now he has a weapon. We have to keep watch tonight. And Kyungsoo," Kyungsoo looks up from where he's leaning back against their pile of bags beside Junmyeon who is in the process of breaking up his small loaf of bread into five pieces.

 

"I've never seen anyone do what you did." Kyungsoo shrugs in response. "But it probably won't work the next time. So here." Sungmin tosses the wooden staff he'd been working on for the past half hour, at him. Kyungsoo lets the staff hit the ground and stares at it for a long moment before reaching out a hand and picking it up.

 

"Thank you, hyung."

 

"It's better than a calculator," Junmyeon tell him with a smile.

 

That night, Sehun falls asleep on Jongin’s lap. Jongin stares, startled, at Sehun’s head. His multicoloured hair is still hidden by his beanie with only the bright edges peaking out from under it. He reaches out a hand hesitantly, fingers trailing over the beanie and the ends of Sehun’s hair and over the soft skin of his ear. When Sehun doesn’t stir, Jongin wraps an arm over his shoulder and leans back against the tree behind him. When he looks up, Junmyeon is watching him with a small smile. Jongin blushes and ducks his head.

 

“Go to sleep, Jongin,” Junmyeon tells him softly. Jongin looks at him. The rolling pin is there on the ground beside him.

 

“Are you scared, hyung?”

 

 “I’ve never been more scared in my life.” Junmyeon comes over and sits down beside him. “But that’s okay. It means I want to survive. It means I want to fight.” 

 

Jongin swallows. “Hyung.”

 

Junmyeon reaches over and pulls Jongin’s head down onto his shoulder. “It’s okay, Jongin. Everything will be fine. Go to sleep.”

 

Jongin grips Junmyeon’s hand with his free hand and closes his eyes.

- 

They couldn't have seen it coming. Jongin and Sehun are following right behind Sungmin while the hyungs bring up the rear. Jongin only realises that something is wrong when he hears something thud to the ground behind him. When he looks behind him, Junmyeon is on his knees. His eyes are wide and he keeps so still and for a moment Jongin doesn't see that anything is wrong. And then Kyungsoo shrieks in horror and falls to his knees beside Junmyeon and they all gather around their fallen leader and then Jongin sees.

 

There, sticking out of Junmyeon's back, is the handle of Sehun's pocket knife.

 

"Hyung!" Jongin gasps.

 

"You have to go," Junmyeon breathes as Kyungsoo grips one of his hands in both of his'. "He'll come now. You have to go."

 

"No way!" Sehun cries as Kyungsoo growls his refusal.

 

"We have to go," Sungmin tells them, eyes darting restlessly around them.

 

"We're not leaving him," Kyungsoo snaps, glaring up at Sungmin. Sungmin looks down at him, then at Junmyeon.

 

"I'm going to pull out the knife," Sungmin says, falling to his knees behind Junmyeon. "Keep a look out," he tells Jongin. Jongin nods.

 

There are many pockets of shrubs around them. The hunter could be anywhere. He pulls the gun out from his bag and holds it in both hands. The hunter will have to go through him.

Jongin hears Junmyeon groan in pain and Kyungsoo's low, soothing voice and when he glances down for a millisecond, the knife is not in Junmyeon's back anymore. Sungmin has Sehun's beanie pressed up against Junmyeon's back. Jongin can't tell if there's blood or not. But there must be, soaking into the black wool of the beanie.

 

"Let's go." Sungmin stands up and Sehun helps Kyungsoo support Junmyeon to stand. Sehun's multicoloured hair, freed from the confines of the beanie, is dazzling in the midday sun. They slowly head off. Sungmin is leading at the front, followed by Junmyeon being half carried by Kyungsoo and Sehun, and then Jongin bringing up the rear, the gun clenched in his hands.

 

They can't hide. They can only run. 

- 

Junmyeon catches fever that night. He lies shivering under the pile of their jackets, head in Kyungsoo's lap. Sehun sits beside Jongin and stares unblinkingly at the fire that Sungmin had conjured up for them, because what the hell, it's not like the hunter doesn't know where they are and Junmyeon needs to keep as warm as possible. Jongin watches the firelight glinting one of the cameras fixed on them on the nearest tree and wonders how many people are watching them right now, wonders what his parents would be thinking. Wonders about Junmyeon's parents, who've never missed any of their son's shows, and can't imagine how they must be feeling to be watching their son like this. Sehun's fingers tightening around his own brings Jongin back to the nightmare. Sehun's looking at the bundle of Junmyeon, who is visibly shaking.

 

"The hunter must have put something on the blade," Sungmin says softly. Jongin tears his eyes away from the way Kyungsoo's hands are shaking as they stroke Junmyeon's hair, to look at him.

 

"Poison?" Sehun asks.

 

Sungmin meets his eyes and nods.

 

"He'll be okay," Jongin tells them firmly. "Junmyeon hyung will be okay." Sungmin meets his eyes, then at Sehun and then finally at the fire, twisting his long knife between his hands.

 

Jongin wonders later if he should have been expecting it. The first rock glances across Sungmin's head, only catching his ear because Sungmin leaned forward at that exact moment to add another stick to the fire. Jongin jumps to his feet along with Sehun. Jongin grips the gun in both hands, pointing it at the darkness surrounding them. Across from them, Kyungsoo gets to his feet, the staff gripped in his hands, face set in determination. The next rock is aimed at Jongin, who tries to duck and almost falls into the fire. Sehun pulls him back just before he crashes but the gun slips away from him and then Sungmin gets to his feet, blood covering one side of his face and Jongin's gun in his hands.

 

"Take the knife and go," Sungmin orders, eyes searching the darkness.

 

"What-" Jongin starts.

 

"He won't follow as long as I have the gun. So pick up the damned knife and get out of here. You know where to go," Sungmin snaps. Jongin looks over at Kyungsoo, whose face is so white, and Junmyeon shivering on the ground. The next rock hits Kyungsoo in the ribs and Sungmin fires the gun. One. Two. Three. Loud bangs. And then he's screaming at them.

 

"Run!"

 

Sehun grabs Jongin's hand in one hand and Sungmin's knife in the other and runs into the forest. 

- 

They run. Jongin thinks it's a miracle that they don't trip over roots or rocks. He hears two more gun shots from behind them, even louder than the sound of his heart beating. It freezes him and Sehun stumbles, tugged back into Jongin by their linked hands.

 

"We have to move," Sehun insists, pulling at his hand.

 

"We left the hyungs," Jongin gasps. He feels Sehun come closer and reaches out with his other hand, fingers clenching on the soft material of Sehun's shirt. "We have to go back."

 

"Sungmin hyung told us to run," Sehun pleads quietly.

 

"Junmyeon hyung, he can't walk. We have to go back and help," Jongin whispers into the darkness. Sehun shivers.

 

"We can't go back, Jongin." Sehun's hand finds its way up to Jongin's face, fingers splaying over his cheek gently. "We have to keep going."

 

"But-"

 

"It's my fault," Sehun says abruptly. "It's my fault you're here. If I hadn't made you come to school-"

 

"Stop it! Do you think I'd want to be safe at home while you're here? I'd rather be here, rather be anywhere with you." Jongin has only ever put such words together in his head. Never thought he'd say them out loud and then Sehun is pulling him closer. Then they’re kissing and Jongin wonders how they found eachother's lips in the darkness.

 

"Should have done this sooner," Sehun breathes against his lips and Jongin fists his hands in Sehun's hair and kisses him harder. 

- 

Lee Donghae walks out of the forest in the morning. Jongin sees the dark shape emerge from behind a tree and freezes, pulling Sehun to a stop beside him.

 

"It's okay, I'm here to help," the figure tells them, holding his hands up and walking slowly towards them. Jongin recognises his face. Remembers seeing him on TV and thinking 'this guy would never survive'. Donghae had smiled too sweetly to be capable of hurting anyone. And in the end he had died, drowned in the river for Lee Hyukjae. Or so Jongin had thought.

 

"You died," Sehun tell him carefully.

 

Donghae taps his left forearm where Jongin can see the pale scar of where his tracking chip would have been long ago. "It doesn't kill you. I thought Sungmin would have told you that."

 

"How can you be here?" Jongin asks. Donghae looks smaller in real life.

 

"It doesn't matter," Donghae says, taking a step closer. "I'm here to take you guys to safety while Sungmin helps your hyungs."

 

"’Safety’? You mean get to D6?" Jongin asks.

 

Donghae looks at him carefully. "Yes. To D6."

 

"Can't we wait for the others?" Sehun asks, glancing behind him as if he's expecting to see the hyungs emerge from the trees.

 

"Do you want the hunter to find us?" Donghae snaps. Sehun tenses beside him. "Sungmin will look after them. He's the one who told you to run, wasn't he?" Donghae asks in a softer voice.

 

Jongin nods slowly. "Yeah. But how do we outrun the hunter?"

 

Donghae smiles. There is no sweetness in it. "Come with me," Donghae says and turns on his heel and heads off. Jongin looks at Sehun, who is staring after Donghae.

 

"Why are you doing this?" Sehun calls.

 

"I'm not doing this for you," Donghae answers without looking back.

 

Jongin remembers the look on Lee Hyukjae's face at the end of the 2011 games. He'd stood stock still in the safety zone, as a bloody Lee Sungmin cradled a barely breathing Cho Kyuhyun in his arms. He’d been inconsolable when they tried to lead him off. They’d had to drug him to calm him down. Jongin had heard that he had donated all his winnings to some unknown charity and had completely fallen off the grid before he re-emerged in the 2012 Youth Games. Rumours had said that he only came out of hiding for his cousin. The last thing Lee Hyukjae had said, before taking that bullet to the head, was that he'd lived too long. He'd smiled when he stepped infront of Lee Taemin to protect him from the hunter. Hyukjae hadn’t known that Donghae was alive?

 

They let Donghae lead, following behind him out of the forest. Donghae doesn't say anything, just keeps on walking, sometimes rolling his shoulders against the glaring heat of the sun. They reach E4 just after midday. The weight that had been pressing down on Jongin's heart eases a little as the hunter fails to make an appearance and they get closer to D6 with every step. Even if they don't know what is awaiting them at D6, Donghae refuses to tell them, anything is better than getting slaughtered by the hunters. Jongin watches as Donghae carefully makes his way down a rocky hill. He hopes the hyungs are safe, hopes they'll get to D6 safely.

 

"Jongin." Jongin looks up at Sehun. His multicoloured hair is mussed by the wind. Jongin reaches up to fix it. "Jongin," Sehun says again. "When we get out of here, take me out to dinner."

 

Jongin smiles and reaches between them to tread their fingers together. "Okay."

 

Sehun stares at him for a moment and then smiles, ducking his head.

 

"Only if you don't change your hair," Jongin tells him and Sehun's head snaps up in surprise.

 

"What?"

 

Jongin tugs gently at a strand of rainbow coloured hair falling into Sehun's eyes. "I like it." Jongin kisses him softly on the lips. "I like your hair."

 

"Come on, guys," Donghae calls, having reached the bottom of the hill already.

 

"You're crazy," Sehun tells Jongin and then he grins and pulls Jongin down the hill with him. 

- 

It's close to sunset when they come across the others. Six weary figures slowly making their way towards them. Few of the figures are leaning heavily on others and Jongin doesn't have to count to know that six is far too few a number.

 

"Baekhyun hyung!" he calls, seeing Baekhyun who is supporting a bloody Yixing while Kris holds him up on the other side.

 

"Stop," Donghae tells him, putting up a hand to stop him from running over. "Just wait."

 

Jongin looks over at the others. Hyesung's arm is in a makeshift sling, his face bloody and Jongin doesn't see relief when he looks over at them.

 

"Hyung, where are-" Sehun calls but Hyesung speaks over him.

 

"Lee Donghae, how are you here?"

 

Jongin startles when Donghae laughs. "I'm hard to kill."

 

Even from where he's standing, Jongin sees Hyesung's face blanche.

 

"Let the kids go, Donghae."

 

"It's okay, Hyesung hyung. We're-" Jongin never sees it coming. It's cold and sharp and burns. Jongin gasps, looking at Donghae and then at the handle of the long, silver knife protruding out of his stomach. He hears Sehun's scream and Donghae pulls out the knife. It hurts. So much that Jongin can't breathe. Donghae is already turning away, towards Sehun and Jongin clutches at him. But his fingers catch on air and Jongin falls, knees hitting the ground hard. He wants to scream at Sehun to run. He presses a hand to his belly and feels the blood, warm and slick, seep through his fingers. He can hear screaming and gun shots. Jongin falls. The grass is cool against his burning cheek. And then Sehun is there. He looks scared. Sehun is crying. Jongin can see his tears shining in the golden sunlight. His rainbow hair is a halo around his face. He looks beautiful. His Sehun. He wants to say that he's sorry about the dinner, wants to tell him that he really, really likes his hair. Really, really likes him. Jongin reaches for him. Sehun. I'm glad I came to school.

 

***

 


	2. Fighting Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He thought the nightmare was behind him. But he's back in the Game and his own is not the only life he has to protect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the Japanese film, Battle Royale.

This is Eric's plan. All Hyesung wanted was to forget that the Games ever happened. Even if he can never sleep at night anymore and no matter how much he drinks, he can never unhear the sound of his friends dying, never unsee Junjin bleeding to death and Andy hanging lifelessly from a tree. The Games would never leave him, he accepted that but he never wanted to fight it. Didn’t realise that he could. Until Eric. _Time for a revolution_ , Eric had said, standing in Hyesung's living room with blood shot eyes and trembling hands. _It's the only way we can ever move on._ Eric had always known Hyesung could never say no to him. He had counted on that. And then Dongwan had gotten called up to the 2011 Games. That had been the final straw for him. Whatever Eric wanted, Hyesung was willing to help.

 

He wonders now what he’d been thinking that he'd agreed to do this. To be a catalyst. Not that they ever give anyone much of a choice, but there are always ways out, some more permanent than others. And just because he survived the Games once, doesn’t mean he could do so again. Only a rare few people have ever survived more than one Game. The most recent is Shim Changmin, who survived the 2010 Games and then went on to survive the 2011 Games as a catalyst, managing to save the lives of three of his charges in the process. Before Changmin had been Yoo Youngjae, who had been either directly or indirectly involved in the deaths of all his class in the 2006 Games but then in the following year had been the catalyst of the only Game in history where all students survived. Hyesung would like to be another name on that list. He would like to be there at the end of the three days. For all of them to make it to the end.

 

This is their first night on the island. The Games would officially start tomorrow. His group of boys seem a normal bunch of kids. Almost like his own class back in the 2009 Games. Everyone with their own reactions to the likelihood of their impending deaths. Byun Baekhyun is terrified. But then Hyesung doesn't know anyone who wouldn’t be, who hadn’t been. Doesn't know anyone who stops being terrified even if they survive the Games. Kim Minseok doesn't say much. Instead, he watches everything with careful eyes, taking everything in. Dongwan had been like that. And Dongwan had survived. At least until they made him come back for the 2011 Games and made him protect a whole bunch of moon eyed school kids. Hyesung hadn't watched those Games. Eric had knocked on his door on the third day. The look on Eric's face had told him enough. They had gotten blindingly drunk that night and two days later, Hyesung had said _yes, whatever you want, let's just end this_. Golden haired Lu Han is determined. He'd spent what little light they had left in the day, getting Hyesung to teach him how to fire the cross bow he'd received as his weapon.

 

Then there is Park Chanyeol, who wants to break the cameras. Hyesung finds him glaring up at a camera on the tree above them, a rock clutched tightly in his hand.

 

"Fuck them and their stupid game," Chanyeol swears. Hyesung manages to grab his wrist before he lets the rock fly.

 

“Stop," Hyesung orders. Chanyeol turns his glare on him and rips his arm out of Hyesung's grip.

 

"Why? I thought you hated them too." 

"Do you know what they will do if they catch you doing that?" The others have now gathered around them. Hyesung can see Baekhyun's calming hand on Chanyeol's back. And both Lu Han and Minseok are watching him quietly. Hyesung taps his left forearm where they had inserted the tracking chip. "They'll activate your chip and take you out."

 

"You said that wouldn't kill us," Chanyeol says accusingly.

 

"You want to lose all you memory?" Hyesung asks him.

 

"I'll just dig it out of my arm them," Chanyeol grins confidently.

 

"You're not thinking, kid. Do you think people haven't tried that before?" Hyesung resists the urge to knock him on the head. "They will take out the whole team if anyone tries to evade the hunters like that. Is that what you want?"

 

Chanyeol meets his eyes and after a long moment, shakes his head. "No."

 

"But Hyesung hyung," Minseok steps forward. "Wouldn’t we have to take them out once we get to D6?"

 

"When we get to D6, we'll be able to neutralise the chips without having to dig them out of our arms."

 

He looks around at his charges.

 

“Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

 

Three days are a long time.

 

Hyesung wants them to survive. He wants them all, his group and all the other groups, to survive. He wants this to end and no other kid to ever have to feel this fear again. He grips the hammer he'd gotten as a weapon and leans back against the tree behind him. One way or another, in three days everything will end.

 

 

 

He'd been 17 when his class had been chosen for the Games. Eric had been 18. He'd woken up in Eric's arms on a rooftop of an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere. Minwoo had been bleeding already from a gash on his forehead, which Dongwan had been trying to contain with the sleeve of his jacket. Hyesung had refused to believe his predicament until the host arrived, until those words escaped gleefully from the host's lips.

 

"Welcome to the 2009 Youth Games."

 

It was the first time Hyesung had heard Eric beg. On his knees for the lives of his classmates. Hyesung's heart had twisted so painfully in his chest as he and Junjin pulled Eric back up to his feet as the host ever so delightfully refused his request. They had gripped each others' hands, forming a line of defiance in the face of their doom. That had led to the first Game since the Games began to not have a catalyst. They had been forced to face the hunter alone. People had later said that it was a miracle that only three of them died. Hyesung doesn't believe in miracles. He believes in Eric, who had carried an injured Dongwan on his back on the last day and kept Hyesung safe from the blows of the hunter's whip and had the ragged scars on his back to prove it. He'd follow Eric anywhere. Even to hell.

 

So here he is.

 

 

 

They stop for a break in the clearest space Hyesung can find in the forest. All the trees around them make him nervous but there's at least three meters to the nearest tree. Enough time to do something if the hunter does appear, Hyesung thinks as he takes a gulp of his water. He watches as Baekhyun breaks his roll of bread in half and hands a piece to Chanyeol, who grins at him and almost swallows it whole. Lu Han has his crossbow on the ground beside him as he chews on a piece of his own roll thoughtfully. Minseok is carefully looking around, being extra vigilant while the others are resting. Hyesung likes him. He reminds him a little of Eric.

 

"Minseok." Minseok pauses in his observations to look at him. "Get some rest. I'm keeping a look out."

 

"Hyung should get some rest too," Minseok says softly, fingers grazing over the sturdy tree branch he'd picked out as his weapon in place of the chopsticks he'd gotten.

 

Hyesung smiles. "I'm fine. We'll be walking until sundown so eat something now," he tells the boys. Minseok nods and reaches out a hand for his bag.

 

"What's going to happen in D6, hyung?" Baekhyun asks as Lu Han hands Minseok some of his own roll.

 

"Yeah. Won't they realise we're not going to the safety zone and decide to kill us all?" Chanyeol adds, wrapping an arm around Baekhyun.

 

"There is a lake between us and the safety zone at C4. To get around that we'll have to go through D6. They're not going to realise anything is wrong until it's too late," Hyesung answers, frowning at a thicket of bushes in the distance. Had it just moved?

 

"Then we can go home after that?" Lu Han asks quietly.

 

Hyesung finally looks at him when the bushes don't move again.

 

"No."

 

Four heads snap up immediately. Four pairs of wide eyes staring at him disbelievingly.

 

"Why not?" Chanyeol shouts.

 

"You'll be breaking out of the Games. Do you think they'll just let that be?" Hyesung asks him.

 

"What the fuck?" Chanyeol springs to his feet. "Then why don't we just go to C4 instead? At least that way we'll get to go home. Why are we even going to D6 in the first place?"

 

Hyesung stands up and looks around them all. "There will be another class next year. They'll pick a bunch of young kids just like you and hunt them down, kill them on national TV and tell them that it's for their own good." He meets Chanyeol's eyes evenly. "We're going to break the rules. We're going to let them know we're not going along with this anymore. It has been eight years, Chanyeol. All that blood, do you want it to keep flowing?" These words, they sound like Eric. Hyesung takes a deep breath to calm his nerves.

 

"If we do this will they stop the Games?" Lu Han asks.

 

Hyesung swallows. Eric would tell them the truth. Eric wouldn't lie.

 

"We don’t know."

 

Chanyeol looks as though he's about to explode again.

 

"Listen. This is the revolution. But every revolution needs to start somewhere." He looks around at them all. "This is it. We are the first step."

 

"Hyung…" Baekhyun whispers.

 

"I know this is a lot to ask you. And I won't force you to go to D6 if you don’t want it. If you want to go to C4, I'll take you there. But I will tell you now, once they put you in these Games, you're in them until you die, whether you get to the safety zone or not."

 

Hyesung watches the boys gather close, listens to them reasoning and arguing and hopes that he hadn't just ruined all of Eric's plans.

 

After what feels like an eternity, they boys turn back and Lu Han takes a step forward.

 

"Thank you, Hyesung hyung, for risking your life for us. Thank you for fighting for us and everyone who might come after us." Lu Han pauses and Hyesung's heart sinks in his chest.

 

"We'll come with you."

 

Hyesung wonders if his relief is as obvious as he feels.

 

"We'll come with you to D6."

 

"Anyways, I bet all the others are going there too," Chanyeol assents grudgingly.

 

Hyesung nods. "Thank you."

 

Minseok smiles. "It's okay, hyung. This is not on your shoulders. We're being selfish. None of us want to come back as catalysts."

 

Hyesung nods in understanding. He is grateful nonetheless.

 

"Okay. Let's go."

 

 

 

They should walk through the night. But Hyesung can see that the kids are exhausted. So to preserve some energy for the next day and to conserve Chanyeol's torch battery they come to a stop by sunset. They find a large boulder, which serves as a sort of shelter. Hyesung starts a fire with the wood that Baekhyun and Lu Han gather from the forest.

Eric had run survival courses for the catalysts, Sungmin, Changmin and himself. He doesn't know what use Changmin had gotten from them since he had slept through most of it and Hyesung doesn't know what use it would be to know how to build a shelter out of a dead sheep, but starting a fire seemed at least to be some use in the wild. He tells the boys to eat and drink sparingly, they still have two more days to go. They all agree, even Chanyeol who only complains a little under his breath about being a growing boy and these Game makers might as well starve them all to death to save everyone the trouble. Hyesung takes the first watch, Lu Han and Minseok agreeing to take the second and Chanyeol and Baekhyun taking the last, early dawn watch. Hyesung leans back against the rough surface of the rock behind him and watches Lu Han wrap his arms around Minseok who leans into him gratefully, their weapons beside them within easy reach. And Baekhyun over there is already asleep with his head in Chanyeol's lap. Chanyeol's eyes are fond as his hands smooth down Baekhyun's messy hair. Hyesung does his best to suppress the envy he feels. He misses Eric, even if he wishes Eric far away from this place. Maybe after this, maybe then they can have the normal life Hyesung had always wanted and Eric dreamed of even if he never said anything. Hyesung's fingers play over the shaft of his hammer and tells himself to stop dreaming. This war, it will not end until they breathe their last breath.

 

 

 

He wakes up to the sound of a scream. He sits up, heart thumping in his chest. The fire has burnt down and he can barely see a thing.

 

"Chanyeol, get your torch," he commands, getting to his feet cautiously with his hammer gripped in one hand and hoping that it hadn't been Chanyeol's scream that he'd heard.

 

"What's going on?" he hears Chanyeol's dazed voice and then there is light. Baekhyun is holding Chanyeol's torch in both hands.

 

"You two are okay?" he asks and the boys nod. "Lu Han? Minseok?" he calls. He gets no answer and when Baekhyun points the Light of the torch towards where they had been sleeping, they see Minseok lying on the ground. Lu Han is nowhere to be found.

 

"Minseok hyung, get up," Chanyeol says shakily at the same time Baekhyun says "Where's Lu Han hyung?"

 

It doesn't take long for Hyesung to see the darkness spreading under Minseok's head and see the bloodied mess of this throat. He hears Baekhyun gasp and Chanyeol choke on whatever he'd been about to say next. Hyesung crouches down by Minseok's body, picking up a limp wrist and checking for a pulse. He finds it. Barely there but he finds it.

 

"He's alive," he tells the kids as they hover over him, terrified and distraught. Hyesung rips off his jacket and presses it to Minseok's throat trying to halt the blood loss. Minseok gasps weakly, spitting out blood.

 

"It's okay. You're going to be okay, Minseok. Hang in there." Minseok's dark eyes fix on him and Hyesung catches the hand that scrabbles at him.

 

"...Han…?" the boy breathes.

 

"He wants Lu Han hyung," Baekhyun cries and Hyesung hears the tears caught in his voice. "Where did he go?"

 

Hyesung reaches up and pulls Baekhyun down beside him, grabs his hand and presses it to his jacket held to Minseok's throat.

 

"Keep pressure there." He watches Baekhyun's face carefully to make sure that he understands. When Baekhyun gives him a shaky nod, Hyesung stands up, Baekhyun's torch in his hand.

 

"Rekindle the fire," he tells Chanyeol, who turns wide, panicked eyes away from his dying friend on the ground, up to him. "I'm going to go find Lu Han. Stay here. Look after your friends."

 

The blankness in Chanyeol's eyes fade and he nods. "Okay."

 

Hyesung nods and claps him on the shoulder. "Good. If I don't come back, you know where to go."

 

Hyesung is almost out of hearing when he hears Chanyeol's voice. "Hyung…" Hyesung looks back and Chanyeol is still standing there, staring after him. "Be careful," Chanyeol finally says. Hyesung wants to laugh, wants to tell him that it’s okay, he'll come back. He lifts a hand in farewell and heads into the forest.

 

He finds Lu Han crashing through the forest. He freezes when the light of the torch hits him like a deer caught in headlights. The boy is bleeding, there is blood pouring down his face. His eyes are wide and he shields his face from the glare of the torch with a low cry.

 

"Lu Han." Hyesung lowers the torch and Lu Han's head snaps up.

 

"Hyung?"

 

"Are you alright?" he pulls the boy closer by the elbow. "Did you find the hunter?"

 

Lu Han shakes his head. "No… I chased him but I … I lost him." The kid is breathing too fast and Hyesung is not expecting it when Lu Han lunges forward and hugs him. Hyesung folds him closer with the arm that is not occupied with the hammer.

 

"It's okay. You're okay." He strokes the boy's hair and his hand comes away wet and sticky with blood.

 

"You're hurt?" he asks drawing back a little.

 

Lu Han shakes his head. "No. He barely got me. He was going for-" Lu Han's eyes widen. "Minseok! We have to go back! Let's go back, hyung!"

 

 

 

Baekhyun is sobbing silently by Minseok's side when they get back. His arms hang limp on his knees, no longer pressing the blood soaked jacket to Minseok's throat. Chanyeol is standing beside him, pale and still as stone, looking down at the still body on the ground. Lu Han freezes beside him, eyes wide as they take in the scene before him. Hyesung hears his sharp intake of breath, almost like he's being strangled. Then Lu Han runs, drops the crossbow on the ground and dashes to the center of the clearing to drop to his knees beside Minseok.

 

"No," Lu Han gasps, hands reaching out and touching Minseok's face with trembling fingers. "Please, don't…" There is a moment of quiet as Lu Han stares blindly down at the pale face below him. Then he screams, fists his hands in Minseok's blood soaked shirt and screams and shakes and falls apart. Hyesung watches as Baekhyun silently wraps an arm around him and Chanyeol drop to his knees and engulf them both in his wide embrace.

 

Hyesung swallows. He bends over to pick up the crossbow that Lu Han had dropped, and wipes the edge of his sleeve across his eyes.

 

"Fuck."

 

 

 

Later, when the day has well and truly broken, Lu Han stays quiet and immobile in Baekhyun's arms while Hyesung and Chanyeol cover Minseok's body with tree branches.

 

"Should we … is it okay to say something?" Chanyeol asks hesitantly afterwards. Hyesung nods and Chanyeol looks inquiringly at Lu Han, who looks at him and shakes his head slowly.

 

"I'll say something then." Chanyeol swallows.

 

"Minseok hyung. Thank you for always being so nice to me. I know I made lots of trouble for you but you never got angry with me." Chanyeol stops and Hyesung sees him biting his lip until it turns white, his hands clenched into fists by his side.  "I'm sorry hyung…"

 

Baekhyun reaches over and slips a hand into Chanyeol's, the other remaining firmly wrapped around Lu Han.

 

"Thank you, Kim Minseok for being such a good friend,” Baekhyun says, voice low and Hyesung can see the shining trails of tears down his face.

 

Chanyeol looks up at the camera, focused on them unblinkingly from a high tree branch. "You bastards, we're going to destroy you. Just you wait!"

 

"Let's go," Hyesung tells them quietly. Baekhyun and Chanyeol look at him. He sees the fear on their faces, mixed with anger on Chanyeol's.

 

"Lu Han hyung." Baekhyun tries to tug Lu Han away. "We have to go."

 

Lu Han blinks and turns his head to look at Hyesung. "Staying won't help, Lu Han."

 

Lu Han nods slowly and looks down at the green covered body at his feet. "Wait for me," Lu Han says, followed by something whispered so quietly that Hyesung doesn't hear but he doesn’t miss Baekhyun blanching beside him.

 

 

 

They make their way steadily towards D6. The boys are quiet and follow after him obediently. Lu Han had taken his crossbow back, hands gripping tightly around the shaft.

 

"Hyung." Chanyeol has come up beside him. "Baekhyun's -we're - worried about Lu Han hyung."

 

Hyesung looks at Chanyeol and then back at Lu Han, last in line now that Chanyeol had moved up.

  

"That he'd do something crazy like chase after the hunter?" Hyesung asks. Chanyeol swallows and nods.

 

"I'll talk to him," Hyesung tells him. Chanyeol hesitates.

 

"Hyung, if the hunter comes, if you can-" Chanyeol touches his arm tentatively. "If you can, can you look after Baekhyun … please?"

 

"You're offering your life for Baekhyun?"

 

Chanyeol meets his eyes and nods. "Save him, please. If… if I die, it won't be a great big loss. But if… something happens to Baekhyun … it won't be good for the world, hyung." There's a small smile at the edges of Chanyeol's lips. "Promise, hyung?"

 

Hyesung reaches up and ruffles the boy's hair. "I'm going to look after you all," he says and when Chanyeol opens his mouth to protest. "But I promise. I'll look after Baekhyun," he promises softly. Chanyeol smiles, bright and happy, just for the briefest of moments before it fades under the weight of the day.

 

"Thank you, hyung. I'll go back now, hyung."

 

Hyesung takes a deep breath as Chanyeol drops back.

 

"Lu Han," Hyesung calls and Lu Han looks up. "Walk with me."

 

Lu Han stares at him for a long moment before nodding and quickening his pace until he's walking beside Hyesung. Baekhyun offers him a small, grateful smile from beside Chanyeol.

 

They walk in silence for a while. Hyesung knows that nothing he can say would be able to lessen the strength of Lu Han's grief. He remembers the way Dongwan had held his hand so tightly as they stood in the safety zone in 2009. They'd had to forcibly pull them apart to separate them. Dongwan had never recovered from losing Junjin and had gone weeks without talking to anyone. Then Eric had talked him into joining the resistance. That had reawakened Dongwan, given him purpose. Given him a chance for revenge.

Hyesung wants these boys to survive. Wants Lu Han to be able to make it out of these games, even with his heart less than intact.

 

"I nearly had him," Lu Han says suddenly. "In the forest. I nearly had him."

 

Hyesung glances down at him and doesn't tell him that he'd been a fool to chase after the hunter, that he could have died in the dark and they might never have known.

 

"Next time, don't hesitate," Hyesung tells the boy instead. "Next time, don't let him go."

 

Lu Han pauses and looks up at him. "I won't."

 

Hyesung nods and they keep walking.

 

By evening, they are steadily making their way down one of many rocky hills on the island.

 

"Hyung!" The sheer panic and fear in Baekhyun's voice turns Hyesung's heart in to ice even before he turns. And there, a crossbow bolt held to Chanyeol's throat, is the nightmare.

 

His hair had been blond the last time Hyesung had seen him. In the 2012 Games. It is shorn close to his head now and his eyes are narrowed, watching him. Kyuhyun had been right about the games this year. They are different.

 

Their hunter is Kim Kibum.

 

Hyesung takes a step forward, stepping in front of Lu Han.

 

"Baekhyun," he calls softly. "Get back."

 

But the boy is frozen, staring at Chanyeol held in the deadly grip of the hunter. Hyesung takes another step.

 

"Stop," Kibum commands, pressing the bolt deeper in to Chanyeol's neck and Hyesung sees the blood start to drip down the pale skin. Chanyeol's arms twitch at his sides, torn between reaching up and keeping absolutely still. His eyes are fixed on Baekhyun.

 

"Kim Kibum." Kibum's eyes flicker at the name. "Do you know who you are?" Hyesung asks.

 

Kibum's eyes narrow. "Drop your hammer on the ground and step back."

 

"Do you remember Jonghyun?"

 

Kibum shudders. "I think you should do as I say," Kibum tells him finally, voice flat.

 

"Do you remember what he told you in the end?"

 

Kibum watches him. Silently. Breathlessly. Hyesung takes another step forward. Enough to reach Baekhyun and push him behind him.

 

"You would never forget what he said. Would you?"

 

Kibum takes a sharp breath.

 

"Let the boy go, Kibum. Let him go and I'll tell you," Hyesung promises in his calmest voice.

 

Kibum slices the sharp bolt across Chanyeol's throat. Someone screams. Later, Hyesung realises that it was Baekhyun. Chanyeol drops to the ground, blood spurting from his throat. Hyesung springs, hammer poised.

 

Kibum dodges and Hyesung feels the stab of something sharp on his shoulder. He growls and swings with the hammer again. He feels it connect, feels flesh and bone give way and hears Kibum’s grunt of pain. He swings again and connects with air. He looks up to see Kibum retreating.

He hears the shout of rage but doesn't attribute any significance to it until someone rushes past him, at Kibum. Lu Han tackles Kibum, sending them both tumbling down the slope of the hill. His left shoulder feels like more than a few things are torn. He cradles the arm in his right hand with a hiss of pain. Behind him, a frantic Baekhyun has pulled off his jacket and trying to stem the blood from Chanyeol's throat. Hyesung sees Chanyeol's hands gripping Baekhyun's arms, his whole body shuddering with the effort to stay alive.

Hyesung rushes after Lu Han, who is grappling with Kibum, blond hair re-soaked with fresh blood.

 

"Stop!" Lu Han shouts at him. "I'll do this. Take care of them!"

 

Hyesung hesitates as Lu Han shoves Kibum's face into the grass. "Please, hyung." Lu Han's eyes are clear as they meet Hyesung across the grassy hill. "Let me do this."

 

Then Kibum twists under Lu Han, teeth gritted at the shifting of his broken ribs, flipping him down with an elbow now pressed down on Lu Han's throat. Kibum glares up at him and freezes Hyesung on the spot.

 

"Would I care about what he said?" Kibum asks. "He died."

 

"In your arms. He died in your arms," Hyesung tells him. "You died for him in the end."

 

Kibum scoffs. "I'm not dead."

 

"No, you're not. He never wanted you to die either." Kim Jonghyun had pleaded desperately with Kibum to leave him. He had gripped Kibum's hands in his' and begged him to live.

 

Kibum smirks. "That's what he said? 'Don't die'?"

 

"I can help you remember, Kibum. I can help you get back what you lost," Hyesung promises, holding up a hand placatingly. He hears Baekhyun's cry of despair from behind him and feels his heart clench. "Please, Kibum. Let him go."

 

Kibum's elbow crushes Lu Han's windpipe in one quick motion.

 

"NO!" Hyesung screams.

 

"How can you get me back anything?" Kibum snarls, getting to his feet. "How can you get him back?"

 

Hyesung can see that Lu Han's eyes are open, sightless eyes looking up at the sky, blood soaked hair falling over his face. And if he looked back, he'd see Chanyeol's dead body behind him. And Minseok, lost, many hours back. There's only Baekhyun left. Only Baekhyun.

Hyesung charges, tackles Kibum around the middle, driving him back. He doesn't mean it when Kibum's head cracks against a boulder on the ground. He knows it is not Kibum that is responsible for this. They are all victims of the Game makers.

 

Hyesung lets go and stares down the unconscious form of Kim Kibum. A boy who had chosen his dying lover over his own life. Hyesung doesn't want the blood of this brave kid on his hands. He lifts Kibum up with difficulty and leans him against the nearest tree. Hyesung rips a long strip off his shirt and ties Kibum's hands behind him. Hyesung crouches down beside him and watches the unconscious hunter for a moment. Kibum's head is drooping down over his chest. Hyesung reaches over to lift his head, leaning it against the tree trunk behind him.

 

"Kibum, when you wake up, you're going to start to remember," Hyesung tells him. Kyuhyun had come up with this idea, that pain is the only thing that could get through the memory block. Although the theory is mostly untested and Kibum may yet wake up with the urge to kill them all, Hyesung is sure Kibum has already started to break through the block. "You'll remember yourself. You'll remember everything." Hyesung gets to his feet slowly and wonders if memory would be such a welcome thing. "Stay alive, kid. You can't fight anyone if you're dead."

 

Hyesung slowly makes his way to Lu Han, dropping to his knees beside the boy. He brushes the blood soaked hair away from his face and closes the open eyes. It hadn’t been so long ago that Lu Han had been walking by his side, filled with grief and anger, but alive. Hyesung looks up at the sky, trying to blink away the tears stinging at his eyes and fails. He kneels by the side of this boy he had failed to save and cries.

 

When he manages to drag himself up to the hill, Baekhyun is sitting quietly by Chanyeol's side. There is blood smeared on Baekhyun's face and on his hands that are still holding on to one of Chanyeol's lifeless hands.

 

"Baekhyun." Baekhyun slowly turns his head up towards him, a blank stare that looks through him. "We need to go."

 

Baekhyun continues to stare at him and Hyesung gently pulls him to his feet with his right hand, for the moment choosing to ignore the burning pain of his left shoulder.

 

"We were supposed to go to college together," Baekhyun tells him in a slightly bewildered voice. "He was supposed to sleep in class and steal my notes. We were going to-" Baekhyun's breath hitches and he looks at Hyesung with tears shining in his eyes. "Hyung?"

 

Hyesung folds him close and Baekhyun grips his hands in his shirt. Hyesung feels the tears soaking into his shirt, warm on his skin, feels Baekhyun shake as he cries quietly and wordlessly.

 

 

 

That night, away from the hillside, Hyesung kindles a fire, ignoring the burden of his injured shoulder. Baekhyun sits to the side, head buried in his knees. He remembers Baekhyun looking up at Chanyeol as they were heading off for the helicopter, remembers the way he had smiled when Chanyeol reached over to hold his hand. He had almost wished then that he hadn’t agreed to this. That he hadn’t let Eric talk him into coming back. He didn’t want to see this close knit bunch of kids torn apart in the face of these Games. He remembers Yixing holding desperately onto Lu Han and Chanyeol ruffling Jongin's hair in farewell. Remembers Minseok comforting Zitao and Kris break out of his impassive demeanour at the end to hug Junmyeon goodbye. He'd seen the tears shining in their eyes and had promised himself that he'd do what it takes to make sure that they see each other again.

 

He'd failed. He'd let them down. And the worst thing is that they would never blame him. He's alive when they are not and for the second time in his life, Hyesung feels guilty for living. For surviving.

 

"Hyung, your shoulder…" Baekhyun says softly and Hyesung looks at him and then down at his left shoulder, which is throbbing insistently at him now. Baekhyun crawls over to him.

 

"It's alright, Baekhyun. It can wait," Hyesung tells him gently, taking in the boy's reddened eyes.

 

"We should put it in a sling, hyung. Otherwise it might get worse."

 

Baekhyun takes off his shirt, revealing a white t-shirt underneath, and proceeds to tear it up into long strips. Hyesung watches him, and the way the light of the fire plays across his face.

 

"Was it like this?" Baekhyun asks softly, meeting his eyes for a brief moment and looking back down.

 

Blood. Tears. Screams. Death. And fear. Always the fear. Fear that never leaves you. Fear that gets embedded into your skin and walks with you every moment for the rest of your life.

 

"Yes." 

 

Baekhyun gently lifts up his arm and slings it up in the strips from his shirt. "But we are luckier than you, hyung. We got you."

 

"Maybe you would have done better without me."

 

Baekhyun looks up at him. "No." He shakes his head. "No."

 

Baekhyun finishes tying the knots on the sling and sits down beside him, knees drawn up to his chest.

 

"I don't think I … it feels like I'd go home and he'd be there, you know. He'd be sitting on my bed and pretend to be annoyed that I was late and…" Baekhyun pauses. Hyesung wraps his good arm around him and gathers him close. "How can they all be…?" Baekhyun whispers softly.

 

Hyesung presses his lips to Baekhyun's dark hair and thinks on the promise he’d made to Chanyeol earlier this very day.

 

 

 

It is the third day. The last day.

 

They meet the others in the late afternoon. The tall, blank faced boy, Kris, carrying the smaller Yixing on his back. And the dark haired Zitao leaning heavily on the cat eyed Jongdae. Changmin is not there. Hyesung's heart seizes in his chest.   

 

The smiles of relief on the kids' faces disappear when they take them in.

 

"Baekhyun hyung!" Zitao calls, straightening up. Beside him, Kris gently lets Yixing down from his shoulders.

 

Baekhyun sprints towards the others and immediately becomes engulfed by his friends. Everyone is in tears by the time Hyesung slowly walks over.

 

"...Lu Han?" Yixing is asking disbelievingly. Baekhyun tearfully shakes his head. Jongdae wraps both arms around him and Baekhyun buries his face in Jongdae's shoulder.

 

"I'm sorry, Baekhyun." Hyesung sees the tears shining on Jongdae's cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

 

Zitao turns to look at him. He looks confused. "Is everyone… gone?"

 

Hyesung digs his fingernails into his palms and nods. Zitao's face crumbles and he turns his face away. Kris folds him into his arms and Hyesung looks away from the way Zitao's shoulders are shaking as he cries.

 

They move on.

 

Hyesung walks beside Kris, who'd reluctantly agreed to share Yixing, who had a broken leg, with Baekhyun.

 

"What happened to Changmin?" he asks finally. Whatever else that kid had been, he'd believed in this. Eric had barely needed to say two words to convince him. There was a rumour that losing Yunho had unhinged him. But then no one had known Changmin before the games and Hyesung had always thought that the boy would never have been the most normal of the kids to go through the Games. Eric had liked him from the start, liked the fire in his eyes.

 

Kris walks quietly by his side until Hyesung starts to wonder if he would answer.

 

"We don't know," Kris finally says. Hyesung looks at him in surprise.

 

"What?"

 

Kris shrugs a little guiltily. "The hunter caught us yesterday. Changmin hyung told us to run. He said he'd take care of it."

 

So Changmin might yet be alive. Hyesung looks behind them instinctively. Changmin is one of the best fighters of the resistance. Only a rare few could best him one on one.

 

"It was Jung Yunho," Kris tells him. Hyesung freezes. Kris meets his eyes. "Jung Yunho was hunting us."

 

Changmin dedicated himself to this fight because of Yunho. Hyesung doesn't know what he would have done when he found Yunho alive. Doesn't know if he should be expecting Changmin to follow behind them anymore. Hyesung tells Kris to take the lead and falls back to the very end of their troupe.

 

It is evening when they come across two kids from Sungmin's group. The multicoloured hair of the youngest, Sehun, is like a beacon in the evening light. He's standing with the dark haired Jongin, who smiles when he spots them. Beside them is someone Hyesung would have never expected. Whose presence in the Game arena can only be explained by a single, terrifying explanation. 

 

Hyesung forces his way to the front of his group.

 

"Baekhyun hyung!" Jongin calls, taking a step forward. Even from where he's standing, Hyesung can see the confusion on his face when Lee Donghae forces him to stop. Lee Donghae who had drowned in the river for Lee Hyukjae in the 2011 Games. When Hyesung had heard what had happened from Sungmin, Hyesung had loved him for that courage. Then he had met Lee Hyukjae, a few months after the Games, and the haunted look in Hyukjae's eyes had told him that Hyukjae relived that memory everyday. Hyesung had understood why Hyukjae had smiled when facing death in the 2012 Games. Hyukjae had never known that Donghae survived.

 

Sehun starts to speak but Hyesung is more faster.

 

"Lee Donghae, how are you here?" he asks and Donghae laughs.

 

"I'm hard to kill."

 

There are only two sides in the Youth Games arena. Hunter or Hunted. Hyesung knows for certain that Donghae is not Hunted. He sees the flash of silver as Donghae turns over a long knife in his hands.

 

"Let the kids go, Donghae," he pleads.

 

Jongin smiles. "It's okay, Hyesung hyung. We're-" Hyesung sees it happen. Watches helplessly as Donghae slides the knife smoothly into Jongin's abdomen, as Sehun screams and Jongin drops wordlessly to the ground. He starts to run when Donghae makes for Sehun, Baekhyun matching him for every step. Then they hear the gunshot. Hyesung freezes and grabs the back of Baekhyun's shirt to draw him to a halt. Donghae staggers, the knife dropping from his hand. They are far too exposed on the slope of this hill. But Sehun is on the ground beside Jongin and Hyesung doubts anything besides physical force would move him from Jongin's side.

 

When they reach, Sehun is crying quietly by Jongin's side, soft, breathless and despairing. Hyesung hears the low cry that escapes Baekhyun's lips. Donghae lies dying a few feet away. Hyesung turns to Baekhyun.

 

"Take Sehun and go," Hyesung tells him. "There's still a hunter left. A hunter with a gun. Baekhyun, take Sehun and head to D6. Do you understand me?"

 

Baekhyun looks at him, eyes filled with tears. Hyesung reaches up and cradles the boy's face.

 

"Take care of your dongsaeng. Can you do that for me, Baekhyun?"

 

Baekhyun bites his lip, takes a deep breath and nods. Hyesung is incredibly proud of him. He kisses the boy on the forehead and lets him go.

 

Baekhyun turns to Sehun. "Sehun. Sehunnie. We have to go."

 

Sehun refuses to let Jongin go. "I can't leave him. I can't. He hates being alone," Sehun whispers, eyes fixed on Jongin's face.

 

"Sehun. If you stay, we're all going to stay," Baekhyun tells him softly. "We'll all die together."

 

Sehun's head lifts. "No, hyung…" the boy cries tearfully.

 

"If we go, we go together." Baekhyun brushes back Sehun's multicoloured hair.

 

Baekhyun reaches out a hand. Sehun turns back to Jongin and kisses him softly and lingeringly.

 

"I'm sorry."

 

Sehun takes Baekhyun's hand and lets him pull him to his feet.

 

"Go," Hyesung tells them. "I'll be right behind you."

 

As the boys make their way down towards the others, Hyesung turns to Donghae. Donghae's eyes flicker open when Hyesung crouches down beside him.

 

"I'm dying?" Donghae asks in a whisper.

 

Hyesung looks down at the bloodied mess of Donghae's stomach. "Yes."

 

“Hyukjae?” Donghae asks, a bloody hand reaching for Hyesung.

 

“He died,” Hyesung whispers, gripping Donghae’s hand.

 

“No.” Donghae shakes his head slowly. “No…I saved him,” Donghae tells him. “I saved him from the river.”

 

Hyesung bites the inside of his mouth and tries to blink the tears away. “You did. Donghae, you saved Hyukjae.”

 

Donghae smiles. "Good."

 

Donghae eyes flutter close as the last breath leaves his body. Hyesung sets Donghae’s hand down gently and runs a shaking hand through his hair. When he stands up, he sees a tall figure watching up on the hilltop. As Hyesung watches, the figure disappears into the trees behind him. Hyesung picks up the long knife from the bloody grass and looks down at the still figure of Jongin. There is nothing he can do, not when he needs to take care of the others.

 

"I'm sorry," he whispers, touching the boy's face gently, and runs after his kids.

 

 

 

The riskiest part of their plan had been the timing of the groups reaching D6 and the arrival of their rescue before the Game makers realised that something was amiss. Kyuhyun had chosen the bay because there were no cameras that covered the area. When they finally arrive at D6, the yacht is already there, anchored in the bay and two boats waiting for them on the beach.

 

The two figures by the boats get to their feet when they see them. Hyesung sees the tall figure of Eric, who should never have taken the risk of coming to the island, and the relief in his heart almost brings him to his knees. He runs. Forgets everything else and runs to the one person in whose arms, Hyesung would never be afraid. Eric folds him close.

 

"Thank god," Eric whispers in his ear. "Thank god."

 

When Hyesung finally pulls back, Hoya is already helping the kids on to the boats. Hyesung sits beside Baekhyun, who grips his hand with one hand while holding onto Sehun with the other as if they would disappear if he lets go. Sehun's eyes are fixed somewhere on the horizon, beyond the red orange glow of the setting sun. Hyesung doesn’t wonder about where his mind is. Hyesung doubts he’d ever be able to turn his mind away from that moment. Zitao and Jongdae are sitting infront of them. Zitao, who has a few broken ribs, is starting have trouble breathing. He is leaning his head on Jongdae's shoulder, who is not letting the movement of the boat bother him as he scribbles down something on a worn out notebook.  On the other boat he can see Kris cradling Yixing in his arms.

 

He knows Kyuhyun would be waiting on the yacht, with his portable EMT emitter that would silence the trackers on their arms once and for all. He knows they're not safe yet, not until they reach the safe house where the others are. But right now, Eric's arm is wrapped safely around him and for the first time since this plan was devised, Hyesung closes his eyes without fear.

 

*** 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued.  
> Many thanks to Yellowleaf for looking over this.


	3. Fighting Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is it fate that brings them together? Is it fate that scatters them apart? Is it fate that they are stronger together than they are apart?  
> This is a war. Nothing is fated.

_Day 1._

_My name is Kim Jongdae. I'm 17 years old. I'm going to die in three days._

_Three days doesn't seem too long a time to survive. It feels like an eternity to me. I don't think I'll live to see the end of it. Changmin hyung says we can. He says we will. He has a plan. I wish I had kissed my mother goodbye._

_I'm really scared. I don't want to die._

_I want to write messages for my classmates. In case I don't get to say it later. In case they're not there to hear it._

_Kris hyung, I'm sorry I ruined your BBQ party by dropping the meat. Thank you for not getting angry. Thank you for always looking after me. I want to make it to the end with you, hyung._

_Minseok hyung, thank you for always buying snacks for me. Thank you for coaching me, I know I wasn’t always the most attentive student. I promise to work harder after this. Hyung, please be safe._

_Lu Han hyung, I want to catch the train with you to school again. I'm sorry for that time when I didn't wait for you. Let's go home together, hyung. I want to see your face at the end of these three days._

_Junmyeon hyung, thank you for always looking out for me, for standing up for me, for never getting angry. I've always been so proud that you're my leader. I'll tell you this when I see you, hyung. Please stay safe._

_Yixing hyung, I'm sorry I forgot your birthday. I promise to make it up to you next time and buy you something really nice. Let's make it to the end together, hyung._

_Chanyeol, I already miss your cooking. Please make me something delicious when I see you again. Chanyeolie, thank you for always being so positive. I miss your laugh. Stay safe so I can hear more jokes from you._

_Baekhyun, I don’t know if you know but I like playing with you. Even if you play jokes on me, I still like it. Baekhyun-ah, I can't imagine it if you're not there, please, please be safe._

_Kyungsoo, I'm sorry I laughed at you when I met you for the first time. I hope you don't hate me. You can pick on me as much as you want when I see you._

_Jongin, I'm going to make you ask Sehun out when I see you again. You've been an idiot all this time. Jongin, I miss your dancing. You can teach me later okay. Stay safe, hyung will see you soon._

_Sehunie, I'm sorry we made such a fuss about your hair. I'm sure it's nice. And I’m pretty sure Jongin likes it anyway. Hyung promises to look after you better I see you again. I miss your laugh Sehunie, stay safe and look after Jongin._

_Tao. My Zitao. I love you. Let’s survive this together._

 

-

 

**Jung Yunho**

 

Pain. That's what he remembers. It is his first memory. It is his constant companion. From that very first day he woke up, with the world so overwhelming and confusing around him, pain has always grounded him. These cracked ribs that refuse to heal keep him awake at night. They tell him that it is not his priority. That the past is of no consequence. Only the future. _Do as you're told._ But he's lived with it for so long. It's come to a point now that he doesn't want to heal. He knows deep in his heart that if the flesh heals and the bones knit, then the little flashes of memory will also disappear.

 

_Hyung, run!_

 

He does as he is told. Takes the number they give him, 6, because they tell him he doesn't have a name. Trains harder than the others. Never questions the red pills they hand out at dinner. They tell him they are for strength. And the pills must work because he is much stronger than the sad eyed boy, 15, and the newest boy, the skinny, pale one, 23, even when they're both getting more pills than him. There are only three of them now. They used to be four. But the first boy, 22, who had been there even before 6 himself, hadn't liked the pills. He'd fought and screamed and in the end, had disappeared.

 

"Fight them! They're trying to make you forget. They're stealing your memories! Fight them! Don't take the pills," 22 had screamed as the soldiers descended on him. "My name is Jang Dongwoo and I remember! I remember everything!"

 

He had never seen 22 again.

 

From that moment, he had not taken the pills. He would smile genially at the soldiers and when alone, buried the pills behind a lose brick on the wall of the dormitory. And the flashes of memory that had always been there, eventually clarified into a 23 years worth of Jung Yunho.

 

-

 

_Day 2_

_We left Changmin hyung. We left him alone with the hunter. The hunter is Jung Yunho. He's meant to be dead._

_Changmin hyung. I'm sorry. You fought so hard for us. Thank you._

_I'm sorry._

_I hope the others are safe._

-

 

He follows them at a distance. They seem very nervous, always jumping at shadows. He attacks on the second day. He just wants this to end.

 

He breaks a boy's leg by stepping on it, kicks another kid in the chest and has his hands wrapped around a long neck of a boy who tries to punch him.

 

Then it happens. Yunho sees him.

 

_Hyung, run!_

 

Changmin. Name to the face. As familiar to him as his own skin. Changmin. The wound in his chest throbs. He can feel the knife entering his body, remembers pushing Changmin back. Changmin screaming for him to run, to get away. Remembers his fingers slick with his own blood and not being afraid because Changmin was safe.

 

Changmin is not safe. He's in the Games again.

 

Yunho takes a step forward.

 

"Stop," Changmin tells him and Yunho stills. "Boys, get your things and go," Changmin instructs his team. "Go to D6 like I told you. Kris, you'll need to carry Yixing, I think his leg is broken. Jongdae, Zitao's ribs are probably broken, help him walk. When you meet Cho Kyuhyun, tell him that he was right about the hunters. Go."

 

"Hyung-" The small, cat eyed boy starts.

 

Changmin still hasn't looked away. "There might be other hunters out there, be on your guard. I will take care of this. Leave now."

 

The boys leave. Yunho cannot take his eyes away from Changmin.

 

"Changmin…"

 

"What did you get me for my last birthday?" Changmin asks.

 

"I...I wasn't there for your last two birthdays."

 

"The last birthday when you were there," Changmin tells him impatiently. "What did you get me?"

 

"Is this a test?"

 

"Yes. Answer the question."

 

"Stationary. I got you stationary for your birthday," Yunho tells him. Changmin had run out of a note book two days before. Yunho had thought it the best thing to do, less trouble for Changmin who wouldn't have to go out shopping for books. Changmin hadn't talked to him for a week.

 

But Changmin doesn't look angry this time. Changmin flies into him. Yunho wraps his arms around him slowly. He's done this before. Many times. Even if he hasn’t done it in years, his arms still hold the memory.

 

"Don't do it again," Changmin tells him, face buried in Yunho's shoulder.

 

"Okay," Yunho agrees and Changmin laughs.

 

"I wasn't talking about the stationary."

 

Yunho runs his fingers through Changmin's hair, it's longer than the last he'd seen it. "Whatever you want. Anything you want."

 

Changmin pulls back a little and looks at him. Yunho touches his face with fingers that tremble as they touch the warm skin.

 

"Don't die again."

 

Yunho nods. "Okay."

 

Later, when the sun is hanging low in the sky of the second day, Changmin decides to split up.

 

"Changmin…" Yunho says doubtfully. Changmin stares down at Yunho's tracking radar and sees the other two groups in trouble. On one side, the five red dots of Sungmin's group are being haunted by a hunter's blue dot. And on the other, four red dots of Hyesung's group are in dangerously close contact with their hunter.

 

"It's the best way. My boys will be alright, there is nothing in their way." Changmin kisses Yunho on the lips. "I'll meet you at D6, hyung. Don't be late."

 

-

 

23 looks up at him when he approaches, watches him motionlessly for a long moment and then smiles.

 

"Took your time," 23 says. Yunho has never learnt his name.

 

"My name is Jung Yunho."

 

23 smirks. "I know who you are." 23 straightens up and doesn't manage to suppress the spasm of pain that passes across his face. "I'm Kim Kibum."

 

"Do you remember?"

 

Kibum's face hardens. "Do you think I'm an idiot? Take some random pills from the same bastards who kidnapped me? Wasn't so hard to pretend to be a mindless zombie. I learnt from you."

 

Yunho stares. "You knew?"

 

"I don't know who Changmin is and I don't really want to know either," Kibum tells him, pulling at his bound hands.

 

Kibum gets to his feet once Yunho unties him, takes a step forward and then falls. Yunho catches him before he hits the ground and lowers him to the ground. Kibum gasps in pain, a hand held to his ribs.

 

"That catalyst, Shin Hyesung," Kibum coughs out a laugh. "He's pretty good with a hammer."

 

"You killed those kids." Yunho had seen the two bodies on his way.

 

Kibum tenses. "We were told to."

 

Yunho remains silent.

 

"Why should I care about them? It's better for them to die anyway, than end up like us," Kibum continues.

 

"They might not have," Yunho says quietly.

 

"Really?" Kibum laughs bitterly. "There aren’t so many options in this Game. If you live, they bring you back as a catalyst. If you die, they bring you back as a hunter. It's better to be dead, Jung Yunho, and you know it!"

 

Yunho sighs and gets to his feet.

 

"You can't walk."

 

"I'll crawl if I have to," Kibum growls.

 

Yunho lifts him up in his arms.

 

"This is faster than crawling," Yunho tells him when Kibum demands to be put down immediately. "And our time is almost up."

 

-

  

**Shim Changmin**

 

Changmin hears the sounds of a struggle and follows it. Sungmin's voice reaches him first, raised in surprise.

 

"Donghae?"

 

There is a pause and Changmin carefully makes his way towards Sungmin and his former classmate.

 

"Donghae, you- you are-" The gun shot rings through the night and Changmin immediately crouches lower.

 

For the longest moment, there are no more sounds and Changmin slowly makes his way forward.

 

When he finds the body, Sungmin is lying in a pool of blood, a small circular hole puncturing his forehead. Changmin bites his lip and kneels down.

 

"I'm sorry, hyung." He touches a still-warm hand. "You don't have to worry, I promise I'll look after Kyuhyun."

 

When he takes out Yunho's tracker from his bag, he sees the blue dot of Lee Donghae moving after two blinking red dots moving rapidly away towards D6. But there, close to where he is now, there is another single red dot.  Changmin stands up with the gun in his hands, takes a deep breath and makes a decision.

 

The boy is sitting so utterly still that Changmin has to watch him for a long moment to make sure he's still alive. After watching the almost imperceptible rise and fall of the boy's chest, Changmin takes another step closer and sees the body cradled in the boy's lap. He rechecks the radar. There are only two red dots at this location.

 

"Hey," Changmin calls, coming in to the boy's field of vision. "Time to go, kid," Changmin says louder when the boy does not move.

 

Changmin sighs and crouches down beside the boy. "Are you hurt? Can you get up?" he asks, in case the boy has some hidden injuries.

 

When the boy remains unresponsive, Changmin touches his shoulder. "Wake up, kid. Do you want to die here?"

 

The boy slowly turns his head to look at him. His eyes are wide, as if he is startled to see Changmin. "Why does it matter?"

 

Changmin blinks. "Live to fight another day, ever heard of that?"

 

"We’re going to die anyway," the boy tells him mournfully.

 

Changmin shifts. There really isn't any time for this. "Hey kid. I'm sorry that your friend died. But Sungmin hyung gave his life to protect you and sitting here feeling sorry for yourself is not worth that sacrifice." Changmin climbs to his feet.

 

"Boyfriend," the boy says suddenly.

 

"What?"

 

"Junmyeon was my boyfriend. We’ve been dating for two years. He asked me out after music class one day."

 

"He sounds like a great guy. I'm sorry, kid."

 

The boy gently lowers the body of his boyfriend on to the grass and slowly gets to his feet.

 

"My name is Do Kyungsoo."

 

"Shim Changmin."

 

"We have to help Jongin and Sehun," Kyungsoo tells him, looking up at him in the early morning light of the third day.

 

Changmin nods. "Let's go."

 

Changmin pretends he does not see as Kyungsoo looks back one last time with shining eyes and turn his face away before the tears fall.

 

-

 

_Day 3._

_Chanyeol, Lu Han and Minseok are gone. Baekhyun says that it was Kim Kibum from last year's Games. I don't understand why this is happening. We haven't done anything wrong. I just want things to go back to the way they were. I just want to go to school and play with my friends. I just want to go home._

-

 

He gets to the top of the hill in time to save one life but not the other.

 

"Jongin!" Kyungsoo gasps beside him in horror as Lee Donghae slides the knife into him. Changmin aims the gun and shoots, hoping that the last bullet will fly true against the wind.  He turns to Kyungsoo as Donghae falls.

 

"You need to go."

 

Kyungsoo looks up at him with wide eyes. "What about you, hyung?"

 

"I'm waiting for someone," Changmin tells him and checks the radar again. There are two blue dots slowly making their way towards them.

 

"I'll wait with you," Kyungsoo says softly, eyes trained on his class already moving off towards D6.

 

"No. Follow your class, get out of here. Kyungsoo, don't be stupid!" Changmin snaps.

 

"I'm not leaving you, hyung," Kyungsoo tells him resolutely. "It's what they want, isn't it? For us to betray each other?"

 

Changmin stares at him. "It's not a betrayal if I'm asking you to go, Kyungsoo-yah."

 

Kyungsoo looks at him expressionlessly and remains where he is. Changmin sighs. The others have disappeared from their sight already, well on their way to safety.  They wait.

 

"Hyung, that hunter, Lee Donghae, why didn't he come back and kill me?" Kyungsoo asks slowly. "I thought he would."

 

Changmin looks at him. Kyungsoo’s eyes are fixed somewhere downhill. "Maybe he thought you would never make it to safety. Or maybe he was told not to."

 

Kyungsoo looks at him, startled. "What?"

 

"My friend, Cho Kyuhyun, who thinks he's a genius, thinks that hunters are given instructions to not kill some kids. Injure them but not kill," Changmin tells him. Kyuhyun had guessed that some of his own class might yet be alive. Although he kept that hope to himself, Changmin knew from the way Kyuhyun refused to say that any of them were truly dead. He’d been right.

 

"So they can turn us in to hunters?"

 

Changmin nods and looks down at the radar again. The blue dots are almost there, most of the red dots are clustered at the edge of the map and if their plan works out soon they would be off the map completely. Then he sees something. Changmin frowns at the radar. There is a single red dot visible on the radar, somewhere on the hill, someone alive that Changmin should be able to see but cannot.  

Changmin charges down the hill and doesn't have to look back to see that Kyungsoo is following.

 

He passes by Donghae's body without a second glance, dropping to his knees beside Jongin. Kyungsoo kneels down on Jongin's other side.

 

Changmin touches a hand to the boy's throat and in a breathless moment, with Kyungsoo staring at his with wide, hopeful eyes, he feels the boy's pulse, blood pumping slowly to the brain and keeping the boy alive.

 

"Give me your jacket" Changmin orders, already digging in his bag for the belt he had gotten for his weapon. He presses Kyungsoo's jacket to the knife wound. The boy has lost a lot of blood, would have lost more if Donghae had moved the knife a few inches left. He wounds the belt around Jongin's body and tightens it to keep it in place.

 

"Hyung?" Kyungsoo asks quietly. "What can we do?"

 

Changmin looks at him, then down at the radar. The other red dots are no longer there.

 

"Damn," he swears and resorts to plan B.

 

-

 

He sees 15's knees buckle. Changmin is a great shot. He wishes then that he had taken more notice of this boy, who did everything they asked but couldn't stop the nightmares every night. Until they pumped him so full of the pills that it had erased all traces of awareness from his eyes. He remembers when the boy had been first brought in.

 

Almost drowned, they said. His lungs are full of water. For the first time since 22, he'd had a companion in the room. A companion who cried out a single name in his sleep every night.

 

_Hyukjae. Hyukjae. Hyukjae…_

But the pills had soon stopped that. The first time they'd given him the pills, he'd stared down at the pills in his hand and then looked up at Yunho.

 

"My name is Lee Donghae," he'd said, eyes filled with tears. "I saved Hyukjae from the river. I won't forget that. I won't."

 

He had forgotten. Yunho hopes that now, at the end, he remembers.

 

 

When Yunho arrives, Kibum clinging on to his back, Changmin is carrying an unconscious boy down the hill, accompanied by a boy who looks at him with wide but unfrightened eyes.

 

Changmin smiles when he sees him. "You always were late for everything."

 

Yunho grins. "I see you picked up a few strays."

 

Changmin shrugs, looking pointedly at the hunter on Yunho's back.

 

"This is Kim Kibum, of the 2012 class."

 

Changmin stares for a moment. "You look smaller in real life."

 

"And you look like a fucking skeleton, but I wasn't going to say anything," Kibum says amicably.

 

Changmin nods, mouth curling at the edges. "I like you."

 

Yunho looks around them. The sun has almost set. "What are we doing?" he asks.

 

"What they wanted us to do in the first place. We're heading for C4."

 

Yunho blinks and then nods. "Okay."

 

"Are you crazy?" Kibum yells.

 

"It's that or sit around here to get our memories wiped," Changmin tells him. 

 

"And it's somehow going to be better in C4? Hunters and hunted working together, do you think they're just going to forget that?" Kibum asks, shifting angrily and Yunho tightens his grip on him.

 

Changmin grins. "Exactly. Hunters and hunted working together! The whole country saw that. And more than that, the two of you are meant to be dead. How much trouble are they going to be in now that the world has seen that you're not?"

 

"You sound pretty confident," Kibum says, sounding slightly impressed.

 

The smile fades from Changmin's face. "I'm not. But it's our best hope."

  

-

 

They sit down on the rocks by the lake in C4 and Changmin sets Jongin down into Kyungsoo's care, who carefully cradles the unconscious boy in his arms.

 

"Hyung…"

 

Changmin ruffles Kyungsoo's hair gently. "Hang on to him. Don't let him go."

 

Kyungsoo nods and looks down at Jongin with determined eyes. "Jongin-ah, do you remember when I first came to class and Jongdae hyung started laughing…"

 

Changmin walks past Kibum, sitting against a rock with his eyes closed and a hand held to his ribs. His mouth is twisted in pain and Changmin doubts that it is wholly due to his broken ribs.

 

Yunho threads their fingers together when Changmin reaches him. Changmin stares down at their linked hands and breathes.

 

"Hyung… I don't really know- this might not work," Changmin voices his fears to the one person he's ever been comfortable confessing to.

 

Yunho touches his face with a warm hand, lifting his chin. "Whatever happens, Changmin-ah, I'm with you."

 

Changmin stares for a moment and then launches himself forward to kiss his beloved.

 

-

 

They see the lights first, shifting and waving through the darkness, coming towards them. Changmin and Yunho put themselves between whatever is approaching at the two boys on the ground. Kibum gets to his feet with a grunt and hobbles over to stand beside Yunho. As the figures become more distinct, Changmin turns his head to look down at Kyungsoo, who turns away from Jongin to look up at him.

 

"I'm not scared, hyung."

 

Changmin smiles and turns back towards their judgement.

 

It arrives in the form of Yoo Youngjae, head Game maker. Yoo Youngjae, the infamous survivor of the first ever Youth Games. The bastard who had betrayed the rest of his class to keep his life, who had watched them bleed and die at his feet without flinching. Changmin hates him with a passion.

 

"Well well well." Youngjae's eyes travel over them all and finally come to rest on Changmin. "I suppose I should have expected this from you."

 

Changmin grits his teeth and says nothing.

 

"I suppose you think you've won, hmm?" Youngjae's voice is amused. "I suppose you think you've exposed all of our secrets."

 

Changmin feels dread encroaching his heart. He'd hoped, desperately so, that they had managed to do exactly that.

 

"The broadcast was cut off hours ago. No one knows what happened aside from the people that are here on the island." Youngjae smiles.

 

"You fucking bastard!" Kibum yells and Yunho puts out a hand to keep him from charging.

 

"Don't. Kibum, don't!"

 

Youngjae turns his amused eyes towards Kibum. "Kim Kibum. You know, you surprised me. I really didn't think you had it in you to do what you did at the end of your Games. I was even cheering for you, you know. You should have survived. Suppose you thought dying together would mean that you'd be together afterwards." Youngjae chuckles. "Maybe you would have. But I guess you'll never know now."

 

Changmin hears Kibum's choked gasp. "No. No-"

 

"Stop," Changmin tells Youngjae. "Stop this."

 

"Shim Changmin. Suppose you think you're lucky. Now you can be together forever and ever." Youngjae narrows his eyes. "Suppose you think the tracking chips get deactivated automatically when you enter the safety zone."

 

Changmin is numb. "They do! I know they do!"

 

Youngjae smiles, unpleasantly. "Do you think you have any power here? Imagine, at midnight you'd lose him all over again."

 

Changmin grasps blindly for Yunho's hand and clutches on to it when he finds it. "No… please…"

 

"But first-" Youngjae takes a step back gestures his soldiers forward. "Grab them."

 

Changmin disposes of the first soldier easier than expected. Then he hears the sound of guns cocking and Youngjae's eternally amused voice. "Let's not make this any harder for ourselves, shall we?"

 

Then rough hands are grabbing him and holding him in place. There are two soldiers holding onto Yunho. And Kibum twists and struggles so much that he gets a rifle butt in the ribs to bring him under control.

 

"You can't do this to me again! I won't forget them again! You bastards! Don't do this!" Kibum shouts as he gets pulled up to his feet.

 

Another soldier grabs Kyungsoo and hauls him up to his feet.

 

"Don't hurt the kid. He's got nothing to do with this. Let him go. Please," Changmin pleads.

 

"He stayed with you. He's a part of this. He will be treated no differently,"Youngjae tells him, almost a matter-of-factly, walking up to him and stopping infront of him.

 

"I had great plans for these Games. You destroyed them. Now your lives belong to me."

 

Changmin doesn't see it coming but feels the knife sliding in through his flesh nonetheless. He gasps and looks away from Youngjae's watchful eyes, towards Yunho. Changmin sees Yunho's knees buckling and sees Yunho mouth his name. Beyond Yunho, Kibum has collapsed in the arms of his captors and Changmin sees the dark blood dripping down his body. And behind him, they had let Kyungsoo fall and Changmin sees the boy pressing a bloody hand to his side, curled up protectively around Jongin.

 

Changmin looks back towards Youngjae. "You won't win this war." Changmin feels his knees give and he falls.

 

"This is not a war." He hears Youngjae say somewhere beyond him. Changmin finds Yunho and forbids himself to close his eyes.

 

"Hyung…"

 

But Yunho is already gone.

 

-

 

_Day 4._

_Jongin and Kyungsoo are alive. Sehun cried. I'm so happy that they're okay. Jongin hasn't woken up but he'll be okay. I know he will be._

_-_

_Kim Junmyeon. Kim Minseok. Lu Han. Park Chanyeol._

 

-

 

**Kim Jongin**

He wakes up to the murmur of voices.

 

"...woken yet?"

 

"He's lucky to be alive. The others didn’t lose as much blood. Don't worry, kid. Your Jongin will wake up soon."

 

His throat is dry and there is pain somewhere towards the middle of his body. If he is dead, he wouldn't be thirsty, would he? Unless he is in hell, in that case he'd rather be unconscious.

 

"Jongin?" a familiar voice asks and Jongin decides that he is not dead after all. He opens his eyes, squinting against the brightness of the living world.

 

Finally when his eyes adjust, he finds Kyungsoo staring intently at him.

 

"Hyung…" Jongin croaks. Kyungsoo smiles.

 

"Welcome back."

 

"Hyung, you're alive."

 

"So are you."

 

"Are the others… is Sehun-where's Sehun?" The last thing he remembers is sunlight in Sehun's rainbow coloured hair.

 

Kyungsoo nods towards the edge of the bed and Jongin cranes his neck to see a bright head of hair resting there.

 

"Hasn't left your side," Kyungsoo tells him.

 

Someone laughs and Jongin turns his head to see one of the catalysts, Shim Changmin, standing at the door.

 

"Most of your friends have been camping in this room since you were brought in. I gotta tell you kid, you're one lucky guy to have pulled through like you did." Changmin grins.

 

Jongin had thought he was dying. "How? What happened?"

 

"Had a few guardian angels watching over you, that's what happened. Listen kid, next time don't trust any old idiot that happens to walk out of the forest," Changmin tells him and departs with a vague wave of the hand.

 

Lee Donghae had tried to kill him. Tried to kill Sehun. "Sehun," he calls, needing to know that it truly is alright now.

That bright head of hair shifts, and then lifts off the bed, looking around blearily before finally fixing on Jongin. Sehun's eyes widen.

 

"You're awake!" he gasps. "Oh my god, Jongin!" Sehun launches himself at Jongin on the bed, wrapping both arms around him and almost pulling him up off the bed.

 

It hurts. But Jongin holds on anyway. He can hear Kyungsoo's voice telling them to be careful, that the stitches might break. But Jongin never expected to see Sehun again. And now he never wants to let go.

 

Later, Kyungsoo tells him of the others. Jongin, sitting up in bed now, grips Sehun's hand like a lifeline and listens in dawning horror.

 

Minseok hyung. Lu Han hyung. Chanyeol hyung. And -

 

"Junmyeon. Our Junmyeon is gone."

 

Jongin feels the tears building up and doesn't fight it when the sobs escape. He hadn't gotten to say goodbye. He'd never told them that he- that they - Jongin buries his face in Sehun's shoulder and cries. He cries because he had never expected to make it out alive, because he'd been so afraid, because he's alive when others are not. He cries because as much as he wishes for it, he knows he’d never be able to go back to the way things were before. Sehun holds on to him tightly. Jongin can feel him shaking and knows he's crying too. Jongin is so grateful that Sehun is alive.

 

"We're not the Sacred Band anymore are we, hyung?" he asks, finally when the tears have broken.

 

Kyungsoo looks at him with wide, sad eyes.

 

"Jongin-ah, until the last one of us is gone, until that day, we'll always be the Sacred Band."

 

That night, they gather outside. Sehun and Kyungsoo carefully lower him on to the sand to face the sea. The sun is setting.  Everyone smiles when they see him, even with the dark circles of sorrow on their faces, they smile at him.

 

"Hey, Jongin," Baekhyun says, ruffling his hair.

 

"Hyung," Jongin's voice catches in his throat and Baekhyun gathers him close.

 

"It's okay," Baekhyun whispers into his hair. "It's okay."

 

"I'm glad you're well, Jongin," Kris tells him, moving to sit down beside Yixing.

 

Jongin takes a deep breath and nods. "Thank you, hyung."

 

Jongdae looks up from a book and smiles at him. "You gave us all a fright, Jongin." Tao nods to him from beside Jongdae.

 

"I'm sorry, hyung."

 

After a long moment of silence with the sun slowly getting closer and closer to the horizon, Yixing speaks.

 

"So we're really doing this?"

 

_This_. Sehun had told him about the Revolution. Of the others that are there. Of Eric, the leader. Of Kyuhyun, the eccentric genius. Of Hyesung and Changmin who had braved the Games again for them. Of a dozen others from the past Games who have dedicated their lives to this cause.

 

"Do we have a choice?" Jongdae asks quietly.

 

"We can disappear," Kris tells them. "Changmin hyung said they can get us away. If that's what we decide, he said they'd help."

 

They look around at each other.

 

"I think we've run enough," Baekhyun says softly.

 

Kyungsoo nods. "I think it's time we fought back."

 

"The sun is setting," Sehun says, eyes fixed on the distance. Jongin threads his fingers with Sehun's and watches the sun set. Jongin feels as though the other are there, watching them. Watching over them. As the last sliver of the sun sinks into the ocean, they start this new chapter of their lives.

 

 

**Epilogue**.

 

"You know hyung, for a moment there I didn't know which side Youngjae was on," Changmin says quietly as Eric sits down by his side. Hyesung nods once at Changmin and walks away towards the training grounds. His shoulder has mostly healed. As far as Changmin knows, Kibum, who is slowly healing from his broken ribs, hasn't yet spoken a word to Hyesung or to any of the kids.

Changmin is grateful to Hyesung. Having him here means Changmin doesn't have to be training the new kids. Changmin hates teaching and has been told that he is a 'bloody dictator' in no uncertain terms.

 

"He's only ever been on one side, Changmin," Eric tells him, eyes on the training ground outside. Changmin can see several of the new kids, Kris, Baekhyun and Jongdae watching Hyesung with varying degrees of interest.

 

"I just wish he'd found another way to keep our memory. Getting stabbed and bleeding to death wasn't so fun. Especially when the rescue was late," Changmin complains and sees Eric smile.

 

"Better late than never, hmm?"  Eric turns to him. Hoya had told Changmin of how Eric had gotten a message from the island, giving him just enough time to turn the ship around and come back for them. Changmin doesn’t remember the rescue. But he’d woken up with Yunho by his side. “He had to improvise a rescue with barely any time left. And with the Youth Control bearing down on him, he had to make it as bloody as he could.”

 

“Likes blood doesn’t he? Am I the only one seeing a pattern here?” Changmin presses.

 

“He risked his life for you, Changmin. And he got you all out. ” Eric reminds him.

 

“Yeah. After knifing us all and killing those soldiers.” He’d heard the gun shots, the shouts and the screams. “I hate working with him, hyung.”

 

“I know you do,” Eric says, putting a hand on his shoulder. “But he’s a valuable ally. We need him on our side.”

 

Changmin takes a deep breath and focuses on the kids training outside. Baekhyun and Jongdae are watching avidly as Hyesung attempts to teach Kris basic self-defence moves. Kris goes down without much effort and the others laugh before rushing over to help him up. They are fitting in well. Changmin has not heard any complaints, only gratitude towards them for saving their lives.

 

"Are you going to tell them?" Changmin asks, looking up at Eric.

 

"Tell them what?"

 

"That it was us who chose them for the games."

 

Eric's hand drops from Changmin’s shoulder. "No."

 

"They might figure it out, hyung." Changmin hadn’t expected the decision to weigh him down, and it hadn’t at the start.

 

"There is no reason why they should. They were the unlucky class chosen for the Games this year. Nothing more, nothing less. And when they decide to use their connections to help us fight, then that would be their own decision."

 

"Pretty powerful connections, hyung. I mean that kid, Kris, his family can fund us for years. Not to mention Kyungsoo’s family. And if Kim Minseok had survived, then we would have had the support of the richest family in the country."

 

"Why do you think it was so hard for Youngjae to get clearance for the class? It wasn’t easy to get these kids in to the Games."

 

"Then it's on us, isn't it hyung? All the kids that died, it's our fault." Changmin had walked past the med room earlier. Kyungsoo and Sehun had been keeping vigil beside the unconscious Jongin while on the next bed, Yixing, his broken leg patched up, gently petted Zitao’s hair as he tried to sleep through the pain of his broken ribs. These kids wouldn’t be here, wouldn’t be injured, wouldn’t be dead, if it weren’t for them. Changmin had never expected himself to care for them so much.

 

"This is a war, Changmin."

 

"I hope so, hyung."

 

Eric looks at him, face unreadable. “Are you with me, Changmin?” he asks quietly. Changmin’s eyes fall to the jagged scar on Eric’s right cheek. Changmin had watched the 2009 Games. Had seen Eric protecting his classmates from the hunter. Changmin owes his life to Eric, who had talked him into living when all he had wanted to do was to die.

 

“Always, hyung.”

 

Eric nods. “Kyuhyun was looking for you before,” Eric tells him, getting to his feet.

  

Changmin had been inducting Yunho to the weapons room. But he feels guilty for missing Kyuhyun. He hadn’t reacted well to Sungmin’s death. Or to Donghae’s. "Hyung… about Kyuhyun…I'm worried about him."

 

"Sungmin knew the risk he was taking. But that doesn't really help Kyuhyun now. And that Lee Donghae... Stay with him, Changmin. I've given him a few tasks that will keep him occupied but I'd feel better if you are with him too."

 

"I will, hyung. He'll never be rid of me."

 

Eric smiles.

 

"You did well, Changmin. I'm proud of you."

 

Changmin grins. "Didn't I tell you I'd be an asset?"

 

Hoya pokes his head around the door for Eric and Eric heads off.

 

"Beware of the sun, Icarus," Eric warns jokingly as he leaves.

 

Changmin laughs. "But hyung, Imagine the damage I can do with these wings."

 

-

 

_Day 12._

_We have survived._

_This is not the end._

 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading and coming along for the ride. Your love and comments are so very welcome :)


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